Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Chronicles Of Depression 2.0: #365: Evictions

The meltdown of New York City begins.

Mayor Bloomberg has announced a correction of the budget. Five hundred city workers are being laid off immediately. Up to another 1,500 could follow. Budgets will be cut across-the-board 2.5% now, with another 5% to come next year.

New York City is facing a four billion* (yes, billion) dollar budget hole.

The eviction epidemic is afflicting real New Yorkers just trying to get by. Patanjali Nath, 52, is one of those people.

In April, he was served with eviction papers from Wells Fargo Bank. Nath rented a second-floor apartment at 97-12 77th St. in Ozone Park and Wells Fargo had acquired the property at a February foreclosure sale.

Nath, a security guard, went to Queens Housing Court and was given two months to leave. In June, he moved into a basement apartment in Richmond Hill with his wife and two children, 13 and 14.

"I no happy," said Nath, a Bangladesh national. He has struggled to pay the rent, which nearly doubled from $625 to $1,100.